Meet Josh Higbie, our Customer Service Manager, Custom Round Tool Division at GWS-Florida in Tavares, Florida. Josh joined GWS Tool Group in 2014, bringing with him a diverse background as a retired Army veteran. After running his own business for a while, Josh decided it was time to return home, leading him to an Inside Sales role at GWS Tool Group.

Josh quickly adapted to the tooling industry and was tasked with growing the tool regrind department. Josh’s efforts helped to develop a portal to track regrind orders, which now supports regrind operations across all GWS facilities in North America.
In addition to his work in regrinds, Josh became an asset to the Customer Service team. His dedication and growing expertise eventually earned him the role of Customer Service Manager, where he now oversees customer satisfaction surveys, ensures efficient order processing, and supports teams across multiple locations.

In this role, he plays an active part in managing customer feedback, following up to resolve issues and ensuring a seamless experience. Josh closely monitors the performance of each location under his responsibility, making sure customer response times meet company standards and that teams handle requests effectively. He works closely with teams across multiple locations, providing guidance and support to ensure they have the knowledge and resources necessary for success.

Despite the company’s growth throughout the years, Josh values the close-knit culture that GWS continues to foster. With multiple locations and a diverse team, many of GWS’ employees have been with the company for well over 10 years, and Josh deeply appreciates the relationships he’s built. The company’s growth has provided him with opportunities to work with people across the country and explore new areas of the business. GWS’s growth feels limitless, and while Josh works with familiar products, distributors, and customers every day, he constantly faces new applications with new learning opportunities. Reflecting on his journey, Josh is grateful for the challenges he’s faced, from managing the regrind department to taking on his current leadership role. He finds excitement in these challenges and admires GWS’ continuous focus on improvement—whether it’s upgrading programs, machinery, or software—all with the goal of delivering the best possible customer experience.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF GWS

If Josh isn’t at work or at home, you can usually find him playing in a billiards league or fishing and spending time on his boat. Josh plays in both 8 ball and 9 ball billiard leagues, not only winning team trips to play in Las Vegas five times but placing 9th out of 240 teams as his best performance!

As an avid fisherman, Josh’s favorite place to fish is on the west coast of Florida, in Crystal River. He spent a whole week there this summer, snorkeling, scalloping, and relaxing. He has another trip there planned for this month and is going on a cruise to Mexico as well.

Josh has some impressive catches on his roster – from his most recent 27 inch snook, to a 42 inch wahoo he caught 20 years ago in the Florida Keys! He mostly fishes for trout, snook, and grouper.

If you enjoy working with dedicated people like Josh, consider applying to GWS Tool Group. We are always looking for talented and driven individuals to work at our facilities in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Canada. Browse open jobs here.